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Role Models – Reconciliation is a Verb part 6

So….how did the challenge last week go? What new reality did you become aware of? Who did you speak with? What did you listen to?

This week we’ll expand our awareness by considering whose land we are on (#61 on the list), and looking for Indigenous role models (#65).

A panoramic photo of Ottawa in the summer.

Whose Land?

Early on in this series I wrote about the importance of land acknowledgments. I hear them more often these days, which is great. Sometimes they sound rote, sometimes the person doing them sounds like they have put some thought into it. Of course the latter is preferable, but regardless the acknowledgment is important. It reminds us whose land we are on, and (hopefully) how it was taken.

If you don’t know the history of the land you are living and working on, you can find it here. Take a moment to look up the name of (and learn about) the Indigenous culture that once called (and still call) that part of the country home.

Role Models

Next, let’s think about the importance of role models: they give us something to aspire to, show us what is possible, and remind us of who we can be. The more diverse role models are, the more we expand our awareness of what is possible for all people, not just those who look like the dominant group. So this week let’s find some Indigenous role models – people who have done great things, important things, firsts, stood up for their communities/their rights. These role models will be as diverse as those looking for them – because we will all have specific things we are looking for due to our lives, interests, and identities.

When you find a role model who is Indigenous, leave a comment and let us know!

Here’s an extra challenge: see if you can find Indigenous role models who have other marginalized identities: women, Two Spirit, persons with disabilities….